


E Files:  Unwind Dystology

by Fanfic_is_not_a_sin



Category: Unwind Dystology - Neal Shusterman, unwind - Fandom, unwind adjacent
Genre: Multi, Other, POV Original Character, original - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-23 22:06:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17088614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fanfic_is_not_a_sin/pseuds/Fanfic_is_not_a_sin
Summary: Her story is one that runs in parallel with the Holy Trinity of the Unwind series.  Her untold tales--don't spoil it, asshole.





	1. Chapter 3.5:  E

**Unwind**

**Chapter 3.5**

**E**

 

She looked up at the building and a splitting headache coursed through her mind.  _Why am I here?_ She thought. Before she could massage the pain, she saw a red dart zip past her and bounce along the ground.  

“Juvies!” Someone yelled. “AWOL!” Someone else screamed. She turned around to find a horde of juvies behind her and it sent chills down her spine,  _run._   _You’re the AWOL._

She ran to the empty street, cars nowhere to be found and headed to the forest.

It was dusk before she turned around again. Her muscles ached and she sat next to a tree—totally out of breath. She was gasping for air when she heard talking, radios, and the sound of cars crumpling as they hit each other. She saw a boy, a girl, and someone even younger glowing as the light bounced off of his clothes. She wanted to speak, but she just watched them.  _Where there are AWOLS running, juvies are sure to follow._ The voice is intrusive, but it makes sense. She waits for them to move, and when they do she’ll head in the other direction. She’ll survive. She’ll stay whole.  _Unlike them_.

Her demeanor changed after she saw those three, and she’s walking calmly now. The dense forest is easy to navigate, and she swats at bugs even before she knows they’re there.  _You can do this_.

“Who are you?” She says to herself. No answer. And she continues to walk.

She comes across a rundown truck stop hours later.  _Drink some water_. The thoughts are less of a word and more of a compulsion. Before she knows it, she’s drinking from this fountain and notices two people staring at her. A mom and a child. The mom is pale as a ghost, and the child starts towards her before the mom pulls them back.

She looks in to the mirror and notices how dirty her face looks. Her clothes are tattered and there’s facial hair splotches starting to form.  The blue under her sienna skin apparent. She punches the mirror before the thought even crosses her mind. She needs to calm down. When she looks back in the mirror she sees herself. No blue. No hair. Just right.  _Calm down, E. Calm down._  The letter… name? Resonates. She nods at herself in the mirror and backs away.

There’s a car with a door slightly ajar, and she sees bags of food sitting on the seat. She looks around. It’s deserted. She acts fast and has her hand on a bag as she feels an itch in her arm.  _Way to fuckup already, asshole._  And the chemical coma slips over her mind.

* * *

  **Notice: Append to Company Policy and Employee Contract**

Lush is in public support of the Unwind Accord and is a proud member of Corporations for Unified Individuals. 

As such, Lush has adopted policy  **756 - Unwind Policy.**  It reads as follows:

 **756.1 - Staff Expectations:** All employees are subject to this contract. All staff are encouraged to alert supervisors, regional supervisors, or human resources if they believe a coworker is not well unified.  Anyone staff known to withhold knowledge are subject to termination.

 **756.2 - Supervisor Expectations:**  Managers are encouraged to reference the public record list on the Juvenile Authorities (J.A.) website to ensure all of their employee are well integrated. Lush prides itself with constant communication with the J.A., and supervisors are expected to allow the J.A. to do random audits of employees. Any managers not compliant with J.A. audits are subject to immediate termination without severance pay.

 **756.3 - Notice of Unwinding:**  Employees aware of their unwind order are encouraged to alert their coworkers and supervisors of the benefit they are about to provide society, and are provided with a Lush exclusive "Proud to be Unwound" name tag.  Employees unaware of their unwind order are still expected to alert coworkers an supervisors of their unwind order, but will unfortunately not provided with Lush's "Proud to be Unwound" name tag. Employees scheduled for unwinding are expected to provide 2 weeks notice.  Failure to do say will result in forfeit of the 2 most recent paycheck periods, health benefits, life insurance plans, and their 401(k).

 **756.4 - Disunified Conduct:**  Employees that have had an unwind order signed against them may be held in civil arrest in the storage room until the appropriate authorities have been contacted.  Lush supports and is in total favor of a civil society, and those that have been known to create unrest are a threat to employees, staff, and the aromatic nature of our company. Organic parts from Disunification Disordered individuals is the best way to create a healthy world for a heathy future.  We hope to unify the world with our organic products as the Juvenile Authority hopes to assist those with Disunification Disorder.

 _This policy is effective as of March 17, 2012._  

* * *

 

 **“** And so it wakes” says a man with vibrato in his voice.

She panics as she tries to get her hair out of her hair, but can’t move her hands. It smells of flowers, and soap. _Fuck._

“Who are you?!”

Whoever it is just chuckles. He walks around his capture basking in how simple the trap was. All he had to do was wait on the bench smoking a cig and wait for someone stupid enough to trip the wire connected to his groceries.

“You’re in fine company, and soon you’ll be in the company of many!” his voice goes shrill, “I DO love a new lung.”

 _The chair’s off balance and he’s behind you. Ram into his nuts_.

“What?”

“You don’t get it do you?”

_I said. BACK THE FUCK UP INTO HIS NUTS!_

_“_ FINE!”

“Whaat?”

She launches herself backward and the short back leg makes her tilt and the corner of the chair lands right on her captors crotch. He’s down for the count moaning and complaining. The force of the fall shattered the back of the chair and she can stand. _HAH! Asshole forget to tie your legs together. Run._ She starts running but her hands are still tied. She looks around and sees overstock, and a label: Lush. _Quiet_. _Listen._

She leans to the door and hears people talking, and the sound of pinging. _What? A mall?_

The her captor stands up. The synapses of her brain connect. It’s her manager. She’s at work. In the middle of the city, when she kicked it AWOL two months ago.

“God fucking damnit!” _God fucking damnit!_

“God damn my nuts. Those parts are coming out of your paycheck, dearie.”

 

* * *

  _Yahoo Answers!_

 _unwindoruncloseted_ asks:  
**i hope someone can help me…  
**i’ve knkown i was gay for some time, but the other day my mom found me kissing my boyfriend in the backyard… we had been so quiet before. but now hes gon. he ran... i hope he said he only found two of the papers for the unwind order. i ahvent seen him in days and my parents are fuming. i saw an urgent envelope in the mailbox… it had two letters on it: **PC** … i think i’m fucked. can someone help me? 

 _dieortry_ answers:  
run. don’t look back  
1 upvote -78 downvotes

 _unwindorbust_ answers:  
FUCKOFF YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING UNWIND I HOPE YOUR GAY ASS PARTS DON’T MAKE THERE WAY ANYWHERE CLOSE TO US. YOU DON’T EVEN DESERVE THE DIVIDED STATE  
56 upvotes -3 downvotes

 _radiofreehayden_ answers:  
do what try says… i’ve been there. but it made my parents more mad. that envelope is a death sentence. try and find somewhere safe… i hope we meet up somewhere besides a graveyard or a "divided state".  stay whole  
0 upvotes -107 downvotes

 _unwindorbust69_ answers:  
UNWIND  
42 upvotes -3 downvotes

 _unwindorbust420_ answers:  
UNWIND  
38 upvotes -2 downvotes

 _unwindorbust11_ answers:  
UNWIND  
23 upvotes -1 downvotes

 _unwindorbust6969_ answers:  
UNWIND  
13 upvotes 0 downvotes

**THIS THREAD HAS BEEN LOCKED**

* * *

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Unwind**

  
**Chapter 6.5**

 

Hands bound. Angry manager. And a wall of photographs of ex employees who’ve been turned in by Thomas. How long was she out? Have the J.A. been called? Is this her punishment for not helping Ida escape.  _Calm down, he’s hurt. Not you._ As if on queue she spins around and the tranq hangover kicks in. She goes to grab her head but finds herself struggling against her bonds.

Thomas starts making his way towards her. He’s smirking. His sly, wirey, gaunt smile. She looks to his arm. Twenty tally marks line it, with a fresh twenty first still bleeding. She backs up to the door and fumbles with the handle.

“You won’t survive if you do that...” his once high pitched voice is now gravely and ensnaring. Her hands white knuckle on the door.  _Do it._ And she does.

He lunges toward her and E opens it just slightly. Wide enough that the edge of the door now takes her place. Her former manager now slams his head against the slightly open door making a chilling crack.

“I’m putting in my two weeks’ notice, asshole”. He doesn’t respond.

Someone definitely heard him slam against the door. She peaks out into the storefront and sees people going about their day. Several men in black tranq proof vests are sitting on a bench just outside the storefront. Distracted. And then there’s Pete at the cash register with his back to her.

_Find a box cutter. It’s gotta be in this room somewhere_. The voice is right. It doesn’t take her long to find it, but it’s dangling just above her reach on the second shelf.

“Motherfucker. Can’t I catch a break today,” she punctuated it with a kick to the shelves and on queue metal bar meets her shin.  _Yo, seriously. Chill. You’re gonna kill yourself before the chopshop even gets ya._

_“_ Are you gonna talk to me this time?” Silence. “Didn’t think so.”

She scrunches her face as the nose whistling from a knocked out Thomas gets irregular. She kicks him in the ribs, and lets out a sigh.

“I’ll check the store room. I’ll be right back,” Pete says from outside the store room. She dashes, pushes Thomas under a shelf, and hides herself between the door and the wall as it opens. Once Pete is fully inside the room she slams it closed with her foot.

“Don’t—“ she says as he starts screaming, “...scream”. It’s short but the Juvies are sure to have heard it. “Pete. Listen I just need you to untie my hands. Then I’ll be outta your hair.”

Pete just stares at E in disbelief. “Wh. What’re you still doing here?”

“Would you take pity if I said I’ve been in here since I went missing?” She smiles.

He pauses.

“Please Pete. The razor is right there. The juvies on the bench heard your scream. Help me out?”

He grabs the razor and drops it on the floor, “that’s for Ida. But I’m not as much of a boot licker as you. I didn’t see you. You didn’t see me. But get outta here before I really start yelling.”

There’s a knock at the door. “Is everything alright?” A low voice says.

E looks at Pete. “Please.” She whispers.

Pete answers the door and walks out. Not closing it completely.

“Yo, officers,” he says, “can I help you?”

“Are you OK, son?”

“Get outta my shop.”

The juvies are taken aback, but turn and leave. E’s already working on the ropes. She breaks them free and rubs her wrists.  _Take his clothes._ The compulsion. _They’re in better shape than yours._ She’s already putting on Thomas’s button down and Lush apron, then grabs his keys and wallet, and she walks out of the storefront.

“Excuse me, sir?”

E keeps walking. Eyes fixated on the food court. God she’s hungry.

* * *

  **ADVERTISEMENT**

Are you afraid your child is hanging out with the wrong sort? That their friends are being a bad influence on who they like?  Do they seem to be withholding secrets from you, and not attempt to talk about who they’re hanging out with in school?  Do rainbows imbue themselves among all of their clothing?  Are you an unwilling parent to Unwind your child?  How long will you let your child disgrace you and your family?

The question is no more!  An addition to NeuroWeave™ technology add-on has come out in partnership with the Unified Family Council.  NeuroWeave™ is a natural cognitive enhancement that will bring about wholesome and wholesome family thoughts. 

Experience-specific NeuroWeaving will allow you to promote euphoria around friends that you deem worthy, and dysphoria around deviants.  This will also alter your child’s mind to have them learn the right way to live and contribute to a propagating society.

Affordable financing is not an issue! Members from the UFC will interview your child and potentially even put them on a scholarship track to becoming a functioning member of society. Call the NeuroWeave Institute today for your free quote.  Our results are 100 percent guaranteed or your mony back.

The NeuroWeave Institute now proudly partners with the with the Unified Family Council.  Where deviance is a ghost of the past!

* * *

“Hi, would you like to try some of our bourbon chicken today?” They say.

E grabs a handful of toothpick skewered chicken and stares at this person.

“Weirdo.”

“Can I get a bourbon chicken meal, with noodles and a drink?”

“What size would you like?”

“Large? I guess?” E grabs the wallet and fumbles with some old receipts.  No cash.  The card is well used and she hands it to the cashier.

“That’ll be $15.67.” _Jesus_. And E hands the card over.

The cashier looks at it, and back at E.  “Thomas?” 

“Uh.. yeah.  I’m grabbing his lunch for him.” She points to the Lush Apron.

“Yeah sure…” the cashier says, “I don’t get paid enough for this shit.  Just don’t come back… fucking AWOL.” And they swipe the card.

She strikes out the tip line, and walks to take a seat. “Fuck what am I going to do? Any advice, disembodied voice?  Didn’t think so…”  On the TV it shows the three people she saw yesterday.  They’re naming him the Akron AWOL.  _This’ll be outta the news in 3 days.  Tops.  He’s gonna get unwound, easy._

“Hey…” E doesn’t look up.

“Hey, be careful, don’t make it obvious.” He looks kind of young and his smile reminds her of home. He takes a seat.  He’s wearing jeans, and a grey hoodie. Hisb short hair is blonde at the tips, but the top is a dark blue. He has a lip piercing. Or a few.  “You have the look of someone lost, but you seem up our alley.”

“What?” _the fuck are you talking about._

“You, you’re AWOL, yeah?” He says quietly. She sets the fork down.

“Who are you?”

“Name’s Xavier, but you can call me X,” he grabs some of the chicken, “Whatdya say we max that card out and find a sanctuary?”

She smiles, “Name’s E. Yeah, let’s get out of here.”  X and E walk towards the exit when they see someone with open arms approaching the mall entrance.  Arms wide.  Ready to applause.

X grabs her arm, “The fuck are clappers doing here?”

 

 


End file.
